All Blog Posts Tagged 'horse riding therapy for ms' (272)

Today is a Cool, Dank and Rainy Day

Today is a Cool, Dank and Rainy Day    

As was yesterday.  When I got up on Friday it was raining, with a pretty cool breeze.  I debated about going riding, after all the weather radar showed that there would be a break in the rain by the time for my ride on Mia.  But my body said NO since I had spent the earlier part of the week on multiple doctor visits trying to get ready for trying the new, to me, MS drug Gilenya, and I was feeling quite run down.  Then I thought about Mia, thirty…

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Added by Jackie Cochran on September 26, 2015 at 3:30pm — No Comments

The Changing Seasons Always Mess Up My Riding

The Changing Seasons Always Mess Up My Riding    

Some mornings are cooler, and then other mornings are warmer.  Which breeches and shirts should I choose?  If my clothes make me feel too cool my muscles start moving slowly and it takes me more effort to move.  If my clothes make me feel too warm everything gets worse, balance, coordination, timing, and my stamina disappears.  The worst are the mornings that start out cool and then rapidly heat up, oh my, whatever can I do so I can…

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Added by Jackie Cochran on September 19, 2015 at 1:30pm — No Comments

Cider Firmly Avows That She is an ENGLISH Horse!





Last Saturday, after reflecting on how good it felt to ride in my Crosby again I decided to ask Shannon if she would let me use my dressage saddle on Cider.  I had used my dressage saddle on Cider many years ago, before I got my Wintec Wide and EZ-Fit saddles.  Cider and I were only making teeny-tiny improvements during our rides the last few months and I was getting frustrated while Cider essentially plodded around the ring.  Shannon and I discussed this a little, and…

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Added by Jackie Cochran on September 12, 2015 at 3:00pm — No Comments

This is a Description of my Problem, Not an Excuse



    

First, some very good news, Mia did not cough at all when I rode her on Tuesday!  Mia is looking chirpier and she is ignoring every previous trigger for coughing fits.  I am still just walking her to build her up gradually from her 6 weeks of sick leave, but Mia no longer acts as if she is waiting for death.  And what caused this big change?  The remedies just helped her get the phlegm out of her lungs, what REALLY helped her was that Debbie could not find any round bales to…

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Added by Jackie Cochran on September 6, 2015 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Oh, No, The Wind is Blowing! ACK!!!





It was a rather nice summer day when I came out for my lesson on Wednesday. I was really appreciating the wind helping me cool off since the technical fabrics work so much better when there is a breeze. Debbie and I groomed and tacked Tercel up, and Tercel let me brush his ears out more, he did not enjoy it (sour look on his face) but he did not put up too much of a protest. Tercel even was good as Debbie led him out to the riding ring, tightened his girth, and led him to…

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Added by Jackie Cochran on August 30, 2015 at 1:00pm — No Comments

The Shims Help





Tercel was SO GOOD this week, though I did not think so at first!

When I got to the stable I told Debbie I wanted to figure out if Tercel could use shims in the Corrector pad. She brought him in, I put the Stubben on his back without the pad and it looked pretty level. Then I put the Corrector pad on first, put…

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Added by Jackie Cochran on August 22, 2015 at 1:30pm — 1 Comment

The Best Reward



   

At least something good happened this week; I got my lesson from Debbie on Tercel!  Her daughter that runs the stable when Debbie is gone, Sam, developed a gall stone and could not give me my lesson on Tilly, so I rode on Thursday since Debbie had come home early to take care of the stable.

Tercel had already gone on a trail ride on Tuesday, and he was not too sure about being ridden two days in a row, the poor horse.  He showed his anxiety/displeasure by becoming ear…

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Added by Jackie Cochran on August 15, 2015 at 3:00pm — No Comments

I Try My Stubben on Tercel



    

Debbie finally got back and I got my lesson on Tercel on Wednesday!  It had been a whole month since I had a lesson on him, and I think he had not been ridden by Debbie either.  I brought out my 45 year old Stubben Siegfried (plus the Corrector pad and the shims for it) to try on Tercel, and the EZ-Fit saddle just in case the Stubben did not work.  Fortunately my husband did not mind lugging two saddles out to the van, plus two pads and three girths. 

Debbie brought…

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Added by Jackie Cochran on August 8, 2015 at 3:00pm — 2 Comments

Some Thoughts on English Stirrups



    

Way long ago in ancient days I started riding in Chile, in an old English hunt seat saddle (before knee rolls) and the main English stirrup of the day, now called Prussian sided stirrups (also sold as Polo stirrups and exercise stirrups.)  This was long before those nice rubber pads that we all use, I had naked metal under the sole of my shoes.  The stirrups used in the very few lessons I got before I got my first horse were Prussian sided stirrups, as were the…

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Added by Jackie Cochran on August 1, 2015 at 12:30pm — 2 Comments

My Plans Are Upset--But At Least I Get to Ride Tilly Again



    

I got to the stable Wednesday, all prepared to ride Tercel again and ready to see if I could get my Stubben Siegfried to fit him.  Of course I also brought out my EZ-Fit saddle to use if the Stubben did not fit at all.  I got there, Debbie’s car was not there, I went into the stable and Debbie’s daughter Sam told me that Debbie’s mother had died the night before, so everything was in total confusion.  Sam kindly gave me a lesson on Tilly and since I had brought out my…

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Added by Jackie Cochran on July 25, 2015 at 2:00pm — 2 Comments

Tilly is a Pony



   

The heat wave continues down here in NC, highs in the 90’s as far as one can see.  I just got to ride once this week, but to help alleviate my boredom I got to ride a horse I’ve never ridden before!

Tilly is a pony, about 13.3?  She is a sort of “dusty” palomino with a lot of pink skin around her muzzle.  She is 30 years old, and I learned a little about her history.  She was supposed to be horse sized (her dam was 16.1,) but her dam died the day after birth and she…

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Added by Jackie Cochran on July 18, 2015 at 12:30pm — No Comments

The Summer Doldrums





It has been rather hot down here, weeks of highs in the mid to upper 90’s F.  In spite of having no air conditioning in my mobile home my MS has not gotten much worse, at least I am not stumbling all over the place and falling, and the horses are still letting me keep contact with the bit.  It has been so hot that most of my painful muscle cramps have gone away and I have been able to stop using the Back on Track things on myself and the horses I ride.  I think the horses…

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Added by Jackie Cochran on July 11, 2015 at 2:00pm — No Comments

Forty-Five Years--Experience





Forty-five years ago today I finally got my first horse, Hat Tricks, after wanting, desiring, yearning and begging for a horse for thirteen years.

When I got my first horse I felt WONDERFUL.  But I had almost no experience with horses.  Just trail riding for 4 years as a kid in South America (horses already groomed and tacked up) in no way gave me enough experience to deal with owning a horse.  Luckily, due to reading every non-fiction book on horses I could find, I…

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Added by Jackie Cochran on July 4, 2015 at 2:00pm — 1 Comment

Hot and Muggy



 

Summer weather has arrived down here in NC with a vengeance.  Highs in the upper 90’s F, lows in the mid 70’s F, the sweat pours off of me, the horses come in from the paddocks with sweat matted coats, the insects are super active, the cows in the neighboring pasture congregate in the pond, and we appreciate any breeze.  We wish for cooler weather in vain, the coolest high for the next ten days will be 93 F, and we may get several days at 100 F or higher.  It is far too hot for…

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Added by Jackie Cochran on June 20, 2015 at 12:30pm — No Comments

Tercel is Starting to Learn My Language

    

     

It is almost summer, and down here in the sunny South the hot, muggy, and insect infested summer weather has arrived.  On Wednesday it was cool enough to wear my Fits Techtread summer weight breeches and my Ovation Cool Rider long sleeve shirt and I handled the heat fine, but on Friday it was a few degrees warmer and a lot more humid so I put my coolest clothes on, my Kerrits Flow Rise Performance tights and FITS Fanfaire long sleeve shirt, and I still sweated a…

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Added by Jackie Cochran on June 13, 2015 at 1:30pm — No Comments

Sometimes Boredom is Good



   

What a change a little bit of equipment can make with a horse!  For the last 2 ½ months we have been riding Tercel with the blinkers, and riding Tercel has changed from a heart-stopping 30 minutes of stress to a sleep-inducing 30 minutes of more or less boredom.  Believe me, right now I prefer the boring rides!  Tercel was not ridden regularly during this time, and for three weeks he was not ridden at all, so this welcome boredom was not caused by working Tercel…

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Added by Jackie Cochran on June 6, 2015 at 11:30am — No Comments

I Try a Bit with Tercel



   

My apologies for not posting last week, my internet connection was giving me fits.  All fixed now.

Why did I decide to change Tercel from the Spirit bitless bridle to a bit?  The last two times I rode Tercel in the bitless bridle I repeatedly got the feeling that Tercel was not getting the whole message from my aids.  Once I fixed his bolting problem with the D’yon blinkers I finally could truly feel how Tercel was reacting to my aids.  He has a pretty decent…

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Added by Jackie Cochran on May 30, 2015 at 1:30pm — No Comments

I'm Back Up on Tercel



   

Debbie finally got back and I got to ride Tercel again.  It had been six weeks since I got up on his back and I was curious/anxious/excited to see how the long break would affect our relationship, especially since I was planning on introducing him to my ear bonnet and fly whisk.  Tercel is super happy to have Debbie back.  Wednesday the weather was wonderful, spring mornings are simply marvelous here in North Carolina, it was cool enough so I could wear my more secure full…

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Added by Jackie Cochran on May 16, 2015 at 12:00pm — 1 Comment

Hope Springs Eternal

   

 

I love spring.  As I sit in my bed typing this, a cool breeze is wafting, bringing in the wonderful, sweet honeysuckle scent from the over exuberant vegetation outside my bedroom window.  The dawn chorus of bird song has replaced the nighttime toad/frog and insect chorus, right now it is in the high 60s F, but it will be in the low 80’s F, the heat and humidity is starting to come back here. 

For my birthday my husband gave me enough money for a technical fabric…

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Added by Jackie Cochran on May 9, 2015 at 1:00pm — 2 Comments

The Simple Pleasures of Life



      

I am greatly encouraged by my physical progress now.  Knock on wood; I seem to finally be recovering from my 16 month old MS exacerbation.  I had been recovering last summer, but then I got appendicitis 9 months ago and that really set me back, but now I seem to be making progress each week, miniscule progress each week but it adds up over the months!  My walking is stronger though I still have a tendency to stagger, I have been able to do a LITTLE house work (hey, a…

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Added by Jackie Cochran on May 2, 2015 at 10:00am — 1 Comment

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